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Couldn't put it down!
This was the first Saul novel I've read and I'm ready for more. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was so good - I read it in one sitting. The book will keep you guessing till the end. I disagree with what one reviewer said about the main characters being annoying and/or victims. I thorougly enjoyed it. Where can I get more?! | 1positive
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Teenage fantasy, not an adult book.
I should probably begin by stating that this is not my usual genre. That is not to say I have no experience with fantasy. In fact there is so much of it saturating the media, games, entertainment and literature these days that it is altogether impossible to avoid. I grew up reading historical novels, classics, and page turners with mystery and suspense. However, I still picked this book up with an open mind and full of curiosity as to what exactly the buzz was all about. I got through it in 3 days, not because I couldn't put it down, but because it was a very simple read. Almost disappointingly simple. Here's my honest take away message for this book.I know why it sells like hotcakes, and it is not because of the author's genius, exceptional writing talent, understanding of human character, imitation of realistic and deep romantic involvement, or any other such qualities assigned to it by so many. If this book, for someone, is indeed the epitome of all or any of the above, I would strongly urge them to expand their literary exposure. The reason this book sells, is because it is a word to word transcript of a standard, typical 16 year old girl's fantasy.Let me explain.As I mentioned before, the writing style is extremely simple and average at best, the characters and are very flat and immature as well, and for me THAT was the greatest let down of all. I can overlook the fact that Bella is a superficial, immature teenager who's only preoccupation is to spend her day evaluating who looked at her which way and how she glared back at them.... aside from obsessing over Edward of course, because he's so gorgeous that he makes her heart stop often enough to warrant hospitalization. That's allright I suppose, since it IS intended for teenage audience and I we have all been there once. It helps the readers relate, so by all means. What I -can't- overlook, despite my best efforts, is that even though she is described as special and different, the -ONLY- thing that appears to draw her to Edward is his appearance. He's Hot.. he's gorgeous, he's a model, he makes her heart stop, she cant think when he's near, she has no self control around him... he's hot... all right we get it! I kept waiting for her inner voice to get past that phase and move on to other qualities like, he's smart, he's cultured, he cares about her, he treats her well, he's got depth of character (well we can pretend right?) etc. Nope, he's hot and that's good enough to die for.We don't quite know what Edward finds in her either, but the author makes us believe she's somehow special and he is intrigued by her, even though the ONLY conversation they ever have is devoid of ANY theme or purpose. Their entire dialog comes down to a question game. That's something you may do on a first date, for an hour, but if you can't have a more meaningful interaction with a person, even at 17... something is very wrong. What's a little more disturbing is that his treatment of her borders on an abusive relationship, where he is constantly ordering her around, manipulating her, controlling her and always seems to be angry with her for no reason (reminding her every moment that he can kill her at will). I understand the element of danger, but i think it could have been presented more artfully than an abusive boyfriend and a submissive, timid, passive girl.But here's the part that makes HIM sell this tale. He is obsessed with her (for no apparent reason) just as much as SHE is obsessed with him (because he's hot). He hangs on every insignificant thing she says, or does, and would never glance at another woman. All he ever wants to know or care about is if she's allright and what she is thinking. That is the be all and end all of his existence. It nearly offends me to hear this plain and shallow dynamic be compared to classics like Jane Austen's elaborate development of character in Pride and Prejudice, or Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette. It makes me wonder if the critics read their work at all. A great author is one who understands the complexity of human character, ego and motivation, and I find all those factors entirely removed from the story in favor of a simple infatuation. (I cant even call it love)Last but not least, I find myself mourning the idea behind this story and how much more it could have been developed. The author took a subject with enough potential and only dipped into the 10% on the surface. The book is literally a transcript of ongoing conversation between the two, devoid of any depth, meaning or character development.The idea was interesting, but the delivery is definitely lacking.Not a bad teenage flick but definitely not an adult book. | 0negative
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Good fairy tales gone bad
This collection of fairy tales proports to support the feminist ideal. This goal might be accomplished, but in the process, what were intended as cautionary and moral fables get turned into boring, monotonous drivel extolling the virtues of strong females. Understand that I am a feminist. I belive in equality, and am going into a still male dominated profession. However, I found this book of fairytales to be uterly wooden, and repititious in their extolling of how strong and wonderful and save the day women can be. In the process, our heroines lose all of the emotional growth they achive in the originals, and are reduced to a female carbon copy hero. | 0negative
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Not worthy of its subject matter
Wow, lots of hate coming from the generation that grew up with this book, and the LGBT community! Well for what it's worth, I'm pretty young and pretty straight, and while I don't see what all the hubbub's about, I didn't find much more to admire than the rest of y'all.For one thing, at this point a better title might be "Everything you already knew about sex." As far as the stuff in the book that's actually true, I would guess that anyone born after 1970 already knows 70% of it before finishing high school -- the bulk of it from 7th grade science, with general knowledge and common teenage talk filling in the rest. The book makes a pretty mediocre first impression, too, spending its first seven pages talking about dick size (har har). It's done in the most banal way possible, too, wasting space to philosophize about questions like how to make it look bigger ("trim your pubes" -- blinding insight there, guy!) or that porn stars aren't really as well-endowed as they claim. Finally, this Reuben guy's not much of a writer. He's short on style and wit, doesn't offer much depth in his discussions on anything, and I saw no trace of successful humor, despite an announcement in the Introduction self-declaring how funny he is. His only real accomplishment -- aside from polluting the narrative with ten tons of irrelevant Bible quotes -- was managing to make sex boring.As for the alleged anti-gay sentiments, well, this guy probably is a homophobe, if for no other reason than his religious nutjob nature (he also "hates porn"). But honestly, unless I just missed it from reading too fast, I didn't really sense bigotry in this revised 1999 edition, aside from maybe his over-associating gayness with anonymous bathroom sex and what he wrongheadedly classifies as "sexual perversion" (S&M;, BDSM, and the like). As far as gay people being promiscuous, I wouldn't necessarily call that assumption offensive; just dumb and uneducated. Here's a more accurate generalization: MEN are on average more promiscuous than WOMEN, and thus it follows that gay men would engage in more promiscuity than straight men ***because their partners are more accepting of the idea***, not because of gayness. (Said another way, men like to screw around, so in a community consisting of men with the the same preference, you can expect to see a lot of screwing around.) I'd only call the "gay=promiscuous" thing bigoted in that it entirely ignores lesbians, who have the opposite preference since they're women. Attitudes about sex and relationships differ by gender far more than by sexual orientation.Anyway, find something better to read. | 0negative
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Expertly written, spellbinding story. Read it!
I thoroughly enjoyed Vitola's earlier books (Half-Light, Winter Man, Quantum Moon), but Opalite Moon surpasses them all. Its intricate plot (with steadily building tension), revealed through intriguing characters, kept me reading till the wee hours to find out how it ended. Vitola's unique vision of our world in the future, spiced with numerous metaphysical elements (on which she's obviously done extensive research), hooked me from the very first sentence. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next! | 1positive
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A Must Read
Incredible technique that works for running, walking, swimming, bicycling, etc. This breathing technique not only increases your endurance but also over all vitality and integration of intent with body. | 1positive
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The only value is that it was the first gothic book writen.
This is a mix of a mexican soap opera with some ideas copied from Shakespeare about ghouls and pictures that walk. | 0negative
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A Review of Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a classic, early 19th century novel about love and everything that gets in the way of it. Jane Austen uses impeccable, meticulous language full of long descriptions and explanations to give the reader insight into the minds of all the characters. The character development indicates the author's striking understanding of human nature and acute observation of human tendencies. The story provides an intricate plot involving the intertwining lives and feelings of a few characters and is based more on character development than on actual events. Although the book is complex and somewhat wordy, it is interesting and not all that difficult to read. The story shows how individual tendencies and personalities can get in the way of love and happiness. It also adeptly portrays inter-family relationships and the profound impact they can have. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in classic fiction, or who enjoys stories about people and their relationships with one another. | 0negative
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Not generic like many children's books
I notice from reading the reviews on this page that many readers (1) read this book many times and (2) kept a notebook similar to Harriet's. I literally read this book about thirty times and still pick it up once in a while. And I loved having a notebook with all of my opinions, which I seldom expressed out loud.I love this book because it's more real and original. Many books about sixth-grade girls have a character who is always following the rules and is never sad for more than an hour. Harriet, though, has a unique and risky hobby and real feelings.By the way, if you saw the movie, I must tell you that the book has a much darker mood, and Harriet is not cute like the actress is. Despite those two main flaws, the movie actually is pretty accurate with the book. But to get the real flavor of the story, you must read the book | 1positive
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Cranford
Very good read. Not exactly in line with the PBS series but enjoyable none the less. I would recommend this book to anyone. | 1positive
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Fascinating History, Awkwardly Written
I began following the Santa Cruz Island saga a few years back and have been fascinated by the family soap opera. The history of the place and the people associated with it is fascinating, which makes the book worth reading. Unfortunately, Mr. Gherini's attempt at telling the story is quite cumbersome and distracting. His clear animosity toward other family members makes for a whining, sniping portrayal which exposes his biases. | 0negative
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Fiction? Of course! So is the Bible.
An excellent account from an important Biblical woman's presumed point of view -- her story, left out of his story. Bring your open mind and plan to be very engaged. | 1positive
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A poor imitation of Hill House
Richard Matheson is undoubtedly one of the greatest writers of the horror genre, but this novel goes no further than being a very feeble imitation of Shirley Jackson' "Haunting of the Hill House". The characters are shallow, the setting is too exagerrated, and the climax is really, really poor. If you are a fan of haunted house novels, then Hell House may interest you, but I'd definitely suggest other books of haunting than this loss of time. Try Jackson's masterpiece, Marasco's "Burnt Offerings" or King's "Shining", they all are far better than this. | 0negative
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Do we need this reissue?
This is an unexpected reissue. Even though in a talk delivered in 1935 Maeterlinck described 'Mary Magdalene' as 'the least bad of my plays', critics have uniformly panned it for a century. It excited interest on its first appearance because its most dramatic scenes were inspired by the play on the same subject by the contemporary German playwright Paul Heyse - with acknowledgement but without his consent - and the question of whether this constituted plagiarism was fiercely debated in Germany. Since then critics have uniformly condemned the piece as a play in which inspiration is replaced by contrivance. No one has found the representation of Mary Magdalene, whether of her initial immorality or her subsequent repentance, in the least convincing. The climax in the final act - where Mary has to decide whether to save Christ's life by giving herself to a lustful Roman officer - is mere melodrama. The one point of interest, in my view, is in the way in which Christ is made to dominate the action without ever appearing on stage: again and again, we hear of him from the excited comments of those on stage, while he himself remains out of sight. The play is indeed contrived, but the contrivance is that of a master dramatist. The translation by Teixeira de Mattos (who translated many of Maeterlinck's works) catches both the meaning and tone of the original with complete success. | 0negative
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Everybody should read this!
I would suggest everybody read this book. It has changed the way I think about all aspects of all my relationships. I am a changed person, for the better and have this book to thank. It gives good incite on every aspect of your relationships. | 1positive
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Fangtastic
1888 London, and Dracula is hanging out with Queen Victoria, while in Whitechapel, prostitutes are dying strange bloody deaths...It's obvious that the author had a lot of fun writing this, and I had just as much reading it. Historical fact mixed with Newman's particular sense of whimsy and walk on parts from fictional characters from the Victorian era, it's a tremendous mixture.The ending comes a bit too quickly, and old Drac becomes a bit of a comic parody of a vampire lord, but all in all I loved it. | 1positive
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I like this book because...
It has adventures as well as relationships and humorous sections. Even though I struggled through some parts I still think that it is a great book. | 1positive
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BRILLIANT.
IF YOU'VE NEVER READ THIS BOOK, SHAME ON YOU. I DEVOURED THIS SERIES AND TO THIS DAY, OFTEN THINK OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF WE DID IN FACT ALL END UP ALONG THE MYSTERIOUS 10 MILLION MILE LONG RIVER WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS EVER LIVED.UTTERLY, UTTERLY ENGROSSING AND SATISFYING. | 1positive
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An Elegant Tantrum
As a film writer/director who has adapted a number of biblical narratives for television, I can attest to the fact that the most difficult aspect of "humanizing" biblical figures is to remain true to the deepest spirit of their stories. This spirit is vital, because it facilitates self knowledge and awareness of the Divine. It is a spirit of informed compassion, and it is not easily accessible to those who have not come to terms with their own psychological and sociological issues.This novel is entrancing, but the spirit of the work is embarassingly bitter. For one thing, the heroine's relationship to God is almost completely ignored. For another, the author's selective omission of information supplied in the oral tradition belies that she has definitely got an agenda, no matter what the facts.The author has chosen, in an exquisitely subtle way, to sensationalize history and, like an enraged child, spit in the face of her ancestors. After all, any anti-semite can brand Levi and Shimon as "barbaric". A question more to the point: what was their humanity? The novel is bloated with irreverence and what, ultimately, can be satisfying about witnessing a tantrum, albeit an elegant one?The expression of one's creative genius must certainly be lots of fun, and receiving critical acclaim while making a pile of money isn't bad, either. But is any of that worth the risk of betraying the spirit of the Bible, even under the disclaimer that one is presenting "fiction"?Despite all of her (no doubt) good intentions, the author's words captivate but do not enlighten, heal or transform, which is the intent of the Original Author. Of course fictional characters must be "flesh and blood", we can't relate to superhumans; but biblical figures are not fictional characters, they were real people who lived real lives. In order to invite them into the twenty-first century, must they be rendered luscious vamps and heartless thugs?I sincerely regret that I bought this book and warn others not to waste their money. Perhaps it's mean of me to reduce the "stars" the book is earning, but if a person is searching for an uplifting experience, they won't find it here. If they want to understand biblical heroes, they can access a wealth of midrashic lore which is becoming increasingly available in English.I wonder if the author has ever read anything by Amy Tan, who presents ancestral traditions with wisdom, grace and, yes, reverence. | 0negative
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He spent two years smiling and hanging out in park benches..
While i generally sorta like the whole NOW ideology about not wasting each second and embracing the present moment, it makes me wonder why should i take this whole book as is. What prevents me from doing that is the fact that he spent two years hanging around the park sitting on the bench and stuff like that...it creeps me out! | 0negative
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An Incredible Achievement
I don't know what goes on in Joseph Heller's head, but it's cool. And funny as anything. I don't remember HOW many times I laughed out loud during the course of the novel...it was hilarious...the way Heller walks himself into contradictions and paradoxes is highly amusing. There are a great many characters, hard to keep track of, but most have a quirk which helps identify them. And the amazing thing is, he keeps everything straight. Little funny things he mentions seemingly offhand continue to pop up later on in the novel. Yes, get out those horse chestnuts and crab apples. The book is very funny.Then, towards the end, the book develops a heart. Bad things happen, and you feel bad. War is bad, and bad things happen. Yet, Heller still manages to inject humor into these events, including one of the funniest sequences, that of the chaplain and the generals...the people in charge are the craziest of them all. You will laugh out loud. You will sometimes feel bad for laughing (hence, black comedy). But you will be happy you read this book.It is highly recommended. | 1positive
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An awesome revelation of our past, present and future
This is a book you will not be able to put down. I really enjoyed the historical background and quickly became attatched to the book. There is a sense of purpose for mankind. The understanding of prophecy is open as one reads this account of past, present and future events. So many questions are answered about world events, people in history, and different ages. Most appealing about this book is that it falls in line with scripture or the Holy Bible. I would recomend this awesome book to mankind. | 1positive
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bad time travel
I generally love Linda Howard, so I was gravely disappointed when I couldn't even slog my way through the whole thing. I'm all for killing time with a book, but this one couldn't do it, even with the title...the time travel paradoxes are just sillythe bleak picture of the future? Come on.The characters were drab and did not capture my interest at all.Over all, simply disappointing. | 0negative
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Best Early Science Fiction
A classic tale. Wondrous inventions of undersea travel before it's time. So great it was copied by many films and the story idea has been copied many times. | 1positive
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Another Dorsey home run!
Whenever I want a light, humorous read I know I can turn to Tim Dorsey and not be disappointed. Once again, Serge Storms has left me laughing out loud as he goes all over Miami in search of clues to his grandfather's death and a small fortune in stolen diamonds. Good buddy Lenny is along for the ride as well and provides some of the best dialogue--he and Serge really are a comedy twosome on par with anyone.This book has kidnapping, mob violence, shot-up limos, stake-outs, the FBI, the CIA, loads of Cuban exiles, a plot to re-take Cuba from Castro, deadly energy drinks, a homicidal microwave, more Miami trivia than you might ever care to know and lots of flashbacks to the 60's when Serge was a small child and in the care of his grandfather (you'll quickly see why Serge is the way he is).Another home run by Dorsey! | 1positive
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Glorifies thuggery. Period.
Utterly devoid of any formal or artistic redeeming qualities. A trivial exercise in giving vent to base, animalisitic urges. Totally complicit in the violence it portrays. | 0negative
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the truth
i read "the alchemist" in the morning today and as i read through each page i was totally fascinated by the story. I myself have sometimes felt the power of talking to the cosmos. When I was at it's height i saw telepathy to work, how to control the weather. it may seem like madness to many but it happened to me.v1165@rediffmail.com | 1positive
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Useless CD-ROM included with this book
The CD-ROM that comes with this book is virtually useless. The web page samples do not work as advertized and I couldn't find any of the sample code that the book promised. To make matters worse, the web site that the book references for further information contains no source code that I could find and instead tries to sell the visitors on buying video services from them rather than doing it yourself. Here is a sample of the great advice from their FAQ.Q12: Why can't my in-house computer resources team do this for me?They probably could do an adequate job if given the time, training and leading-edge technology required to encode audio and video for the net. Most in-house computer resource teams, however, have equally pressing duties that have nothing to do with encoding. Just as you wouldn't buy video dubbing equipment or a photo film processor to do jobs in-house, it makes little economic sense to do your own encoding when you can have it done faster, cheaper and better with an outside digital service bureau.Not exactly the sort of advice that you would want from a book that you purchased to help you to produce your own video for the web. | 0negative
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Disappointed - Not nearly a Lindsey best
The book was mediocre, but I was disappointed because the novel didn't stay in the appropriate time line. The first book of the series took place in the future {the 2100's}. In this one, they were clearly on present day earth. Brittany even mentioned how her parents "denied being part of the hippy generation" which would be the 60's right?Save your money. If you have to read it, wait for the paperback. | 0negative
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Good Book About A Very Flawed Man
Sally Jacobs did a wonderful job researching and writing this book. It is definitely a worthwhile read. What little I know about Kenya is limited to "The Flame Trees of Thika" series and a little reading about Jomo Kenyatta.The book starts out with the extensive family history of the Obamas, members of the Luo tribe. The President's grandfather is the first person protrayed and what a character he is-abusive and arrogant and that's saying a lot in this tribal polygamous patriarchal society where men definitely rule the roost. Grandpa Obama berates and belittles his son, Barak Sr. The male children are treated the worst, with higher expectations.I am not a psychologist and do not know the source of Barack Sr's problems, but having a father like Husein surely didn't help.Barak Sr. is sent to the equivalent of a high school (a huge step forward for his family academically) and does well academically only to shoot himself in the foot by writing an "anonymous" (but easily identifiable) diatribe about the school, its masters, food, groundskeeping, etc. to the head of the school just when final evaluations are handed out. The head instantly determines who the author is and refuses to recommend him for a higher level of schooling in Kenya.And so begins the first in a series of incidents in Barack Sr's life in which his intellectual brilliance is sabotaged by his own arrogance, selfishness and indifference to other peoples' opinions/feelings/rights. In addition, he was a pathological liar and an alcoholic.Of course to Americans the most interesting aspect of Barack Sr is his interaction with Anne Dunham at the University of HI and the resulting birth of Barack Jr. Barack Sr. was a womanizer from the get go at the U of H and went after a lot of women. I don't know whether this was a product of Luo culture or a personality flaw. In any event, Stanley Anne Dunham met BO Sr. in her Russian class and apparently fell for him, hook, line and sinker. They were married in a private ceremony in HI when Anne was already pregnant with Barack Jr. Barack Sr. never told Anne that he had a wife and two children in Kenya.The book implies that Anne Dunham was sincerely and deeply in love with Barack Sr. They really never lived together as a family. Anne's parents did not like him. Soon, Barack Sr. left HI for Harvard. Anne Dunham initially believed she would join him in his pursuit of an economics PhD at Harvard and then move to Kenya to fight for independence. He had different ideas. It's painful to see how she ultimately realizes that not only is he fooling around with women in Boston but has no intention of having anything to do with either her or his son, financially or otherwise.Barack Sr has problems with telling the truth to the INS. At times he's married with two kids in Kenya (the truth) and at times he's divorced (not true). When his visa came up for renewal while he was still in Hawaii he admitted he had married Anne but apparently told the INS that Anne Dunham was going to give their child up for adoption to the Salvation Army. The INS grants an extension but with reservations.Barack Sr's womanizing continues at Harvard. He once again pursues a white woman. Harvard learns he may in fact be a bigamist and with the collusion of the INS decides to effectively drop Barackk Sr. from its PhD program. Reading these memos so many years later, it's hard to determine whether the bigamy was a problem or whether the pursuit of white women was a problem. In any event, Harvard dumps him without warning, unfairly without giving him any chance to redeem himself. He has 30 days to move back to Kenya. He leaves the US with an MA in Economics from Harvard but not his longed for PhD. I believe but am not certain that all he needed to do to get his PhD was to get his PhD dissertation written, defended and approved, but there may have been more course work or oral exams the author glosses over. In any even, the PhD thesis is mysteriously stolen.....And so begins the downward spiral of Barack Sr. The rest of his life involves a series of jobs in which he does everything he can to alienate and abuse his colleagues and bosses. His behavior as an employee is simply incredible. He would not last a minute in an American company, insulting his bosses to their faces, constantly asking for advances on his salary, "doing things" for which he had no authority. Even impersonating his bosses on foreign trips. It's truly mindboggling. He cannot stop lying. Another white woman follows him to Kenya and he abuses her and his children by her terribly. She finally leaves him. The boozing continues and worsens. The firings continue.A very flawed man who hurt many of his family and friends. Not a very sympathetic person. In fact, you read the book and you wonder what relevance this man has to Pres. Obama other than genetic. Notwithstanding whatever Pres. Obama wrote in his book about his father (I never read it), the only real contact was for several months when Obama was around 10 in HI. The book states that Pres. Obama didn't like his father, a stranger who was disruptive, demanding and rude and was glad to see him go. | 1positive
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This book has a dire need to be shortened
This book in the beginning was so slow that I finished a book twice it's length before I finished the first chapter of Tess of the D'Urdubervilles. | 0negative
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This Was so Much Fun!
Ordered this so I could get the narration before going on a car trip, and it was great. The reader had slightly different voices for most of the characters and never got them confused. Listening to this made me really excited about the release of the movie. | 1positive
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Amazing Austin
What is there to say.... Jane Austin was the most dedicated writer of her time. Inclusive of love triangles, mystery, intrigue and of course deceit. For an author writing in the 1800's she is just simply amazing. I will warn readers to give yourself a chance to decifer the "language of the day". It is well worth the effort because the result is a series of books that are unrelated to each other but formidable and of the out-most literary content. Enjoy every word I know I did! | 1positive
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Easy Read!!
Amazed at how much easier it is to read these long classics electronically (which I love!) than bulky books. Jane Austen is one of my favorite authoresses, and this book did not disappoint! I love this time in history, and this was one of her books I had not read, or seen in mini-series form. Plan to read more of her lesser-known novels...her style and characters just keep you wanting more....this novel was up to her usual excellence. | 1positive
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Masterful and Ironic Caricatures of Human Folly
"Good-Bye to All That" is one of the most imminently readable autobiographies I have yet come across. Generally, I do not particularly care for the autobiographical genre of writing, nor, based on my public school and university history textbooks, would I have professed much interest in history. Graves' book, however, changes "all that." Two aspects of the book have endeared it to me:First, Graves' writing style is replete with droll, dry wit. His use of irony to paint word pictures in his readers' minds is masterful. His use of language is inspiring to every occasional writer who longs for such skill. His ability to see through the faades of academic reputation in both public school and university, of nationalistic patriotism, of formally organized religion, and of military tradition overcomes popular perception to show the ignorant, delusional, self-serving nature of such things. Never are his unveilings heavy-handed, though. On the contrary, Graves depicts events and presents examples in descriptions that he refers to as "caricatures," but it would be a dull reader indeed who fails to perceive the ironies implicit in these entertaining recitations.Second, Graves' autobiography is revealing of many historical topics that escape adequate coverage in most textbooks. The reader comes away with a much improved understanding of early 20th century British society, education, and culture. Because most of the book deals with Graves' experiences in the trench warfare of World War I, the reader comes to visualize the barbarity and insanity of war more acutely than he may have hitherto done. Then there are tidbits that generally escape the formal history textbooks altogether-the antipathy between British troops and French citizenry that led some Britons to the conclusion that their country had aligned itself with the wrong side in the war; the imprisonment of British residents of German ancestry resulting from war paranoia (foreshadowing America's treatment of its citizens of Japanese ancestry during the next world war); British soldiers' opinion of American "support" as American artillery shells showed themselves frequently to be duds or, worse, to fall short and explode in the British trenches rather than the German. Graves presents us history as he saw it first hand, and we are spell bound by his power as a storyteller.The book also has, from my perspective, two significant weaknesses. First, my command of American English did not always stand me in good stead when confronted by some words and phrases of peculiarly colloquial British usage. This edition of the book does include a short "Glossary for non-British readers," but it needs to be about twice as long for some of us. The second weakness, more of a disappointment, really, is that the narrative stops when Graves is only thirty-three. Even though Graves later appended a brief epilogue, the reader wishes that he had continued his story for many more years, for we come to feel a friendship for this man and are enjoying sitting at his knee, listening to him recount his insightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking observations on life-and we do not want the story to end."Good-Bye to All That" is well worth the reading to any number of people-aspiring writers (note Graves' style), lovers of poetry (understand the life behind the poetry), and students of history (learn from it or repeat it eternally). In fact, I cannot conceive of any literate person who would not find Graves' autobiographical tale both enjoyable and instructive. | 1positive
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Inadequate!
Many of the columns were interesting . . . painting a picture of a vast right-ring conspiracy that Hillary Clinton first brought to the public discourse. But it seems that most of these pieces are obsolete, without any interest either as themselves or as a theme. Does anyone care about Texas state politics in 1989, or Phil Gramm's problems as a senator or as a presidential candidate? Someone should have gone through this and culled out what was obsolete .. except that that would probably have left less material than would make up a book. Just going through a bunch of previously written columns and passing them off as a book may be a cheap and easy way to publish something but it is an inadequate read. | 0negative
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Wuthering Heights Is Not Worthy Of Your Time
Wuthering Heights is the worst book I have ever read. If you are forced to read it like me, get cliff notes. It might help. | 0negative
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Blackxploitation redux
This is nothing less than the story of an African American man's struggle to define himself within the context of the 60's US black power movement exploited by a white Englishman. Mike Marqusee brings nothing new to the story of Muhamed Ali other than stilted prose and an uncritical eye. It fails as a book about boxing and is equally weak with respect to Ali's struggle with the white establishment of his day. Marqusee's attempt to embrace Ali's story serves only to water down the true struggle of an entire generation against the evils of institutional racism. | 0negative
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maybe i'm unnaturaly freakish, but ...
this book really moved me to tears; the metaphoric wordplay, with themes that any who are a dreamer at heart would kinder to longingly. | 1positive
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Will put up the price for towels - buy stock in Towels-R-Us
The essential guide for towel fetishes everywhere | 1positive
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Was Darwin right?
I needed this book for a biology class and, at first, was not thrilled to have to read it. However, after starting to read it, I Did find it very interesting. It really tought me a lot about how species evolve and how some actually change so much that they become another species.It also showed me how one species can almost whipe out a nimber of species.Thhis is VERY good reading for anyone in the science field. | 1positive
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A valuable contribution to modern historical understanding
Meticulously researched and thoughtfully written, Mazower's Book is a valuable contribution to our understanding of European history in the first half of the twentieth century, especially during the decade of the 1940s. As the title suggests, this is a work about the German occupation of Greece. The unique character of Greece's political, social and economic structures make the story especially complicated. The suffering of the Greeks during the occupation was particularly intense. The famine that caused many thousands of deaths is a part of the suffering. So were the occupiers' reprisals at resistance activity. The author offers insightful analyses of the work and organization of the resistance, including various Communist groups, to show how and why the communists were able to carry on a civil war against the Athens government once the war was over. In an excellent chapter on the suffering of Jewish Greeks, he details how about fifty thousand Jews -- mostly from Salonika -- were deported to death camps in Poland and elsewhere. Personally, I take some comfort in Mazower's statement on page 159 that, in general, most Orthodox Christian Greeks made a determined effort to save their Jewish compatriots from the invaders by hiding them and providing them with food.Mazower has recently edited a book of fourteen essays titiled After the War Was Over, exploring the question of how collaborators were dealt with in the years following the occupation. ... | 1positive
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Disappointing
This book has a great premise, which is to use statistics to question some of the "great" debates of baseball and generally shed some new light on the subject. It is a fascinating idea. However to me it feels rather poorly executed.The chapters seem to go from statistics to anecdotes, to statistics, to anecdotes with no clear path. The problem with this approach is that Barra never even settles on one or another as being his criteria for settling his dabates. On this level this book is highly unsatisfying. For example in comparing Ted Williams to Joe DiMaggio he "proves" that one batter was clearly the statistically only to decide that he would choose the inferior player for intangible reasons if he could go back in time. Considering that in other chapters he uses numbers almost exclusively, to argue that the 1919 Black Sox shouldn't have been favorites no matter takes away the necessary bias. Essentially the author uses numbers that prove his point, but often only presents the data he puts forth in his argument.In the chapter I found most unsettling the author examined the legacy of the 1986 New York Mets. He does nothing less than insult Sid Fernandez for his weight problems and dismisses Dwight Gooden's career tail off as solely due to drug and alcohol problems. He compares Gooden's early career to that of Roger Clemens and rightly points out that Gooden was the better pitcher at the end of 1986 based on statistics and essentially relates his subsequent pitching performances to his personal demons. However if the reader were presented with career statistics they would see that Gooden pitched approximately 500 innings in his first 2 seasons. The man led the National League in innings pitched in his second season with 276. Add to that Gooden's high strike out totals and high complete game figures and one could argue that Gooden suffered from arm abuse as well as drug problems. To fail to mention such data seriously hinders the credibility of the author's arguments. It makes me curious as to what pertinent information is left out of his other analyses. As such I cannot place much weight on the particular merits of the authors arguments as they present very skewed statistics.I know statistics can say whatever you want them too. It's even easier when you don't get to see all the numbers. A nice idea but poorly executed. It may present the greatest baseball debates, but it does not end them. | 0negative
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Messed Up People
The thing that I liked about this book was that it is very emotional. It will have you laughing one minute, only to find out the next that what you are laughing at is so tragic that it makes you want to cry. The problem I have with it is that it doen't have a plot so much as an idea. The narrator tells her tragically redemptive story in such a way that reveals vital information to the reader in surprising ways. There really aren't any "plot twists," because the characters know everything when the book begins, it's simply the way that it's presented that makes it surprising to us. This way Palahniuk continually pulls the rug out from under us tends to get a little old. Other than that, it's a good read filled with vivid, off the wall characters as screwed up as you could want them to be. Ultimately it is a redemptive story, and that's what redeems the book itself. | 1positive
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Catch-22
Good movie based on a great book! Some very funny moments but Hollywood did stray away too many times from a very funny story line. | 1positive
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Test Your Endurance! Can you continue to care?!
Oh, gods... I'm not sure how Martin has bagged such critical acclaim with these books. His stories progress at a glacial pace. This would not be so bad if these were enjoyable characters to follow. They arent. Or rather, the majority of them aren't (Tyrion is a pleasant exception). If he picked a single character, that might make for interesting reading. Or if the characters were dynamic, that would be alright. The characters are too often like pieces of flotsam tossed on rough seas. Life is like that sometimes. But it doesnt make for good storytelling.The books I'm reminded of most to compare these to are Brin's Galactic Civilization books. He also split the story among many characters. But he did it in cliff-hanger serials with scrappy characters you wanted to like. Martin's characters are an often luckless assorment of not very interesing or fun people with lives that manage to be somehow boring against grand spectacle. | 0negative
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I was hooked!
It's been such a long time since I've read a mystery novel...so, either I was willing to be pulled in by this story (whether the plot sucked or not), or I found this "whodunit" really absorbing. Since I literally could not put this book down, I think I'm going to believe the latter. I have not watched the screen adaptation and am not interested to--the reading experience was more than enough...this was a very enjoyable snuggle-into-your-bed-and-read-till-the-late-hours-of-the-night mystery. Loved it! | 1positive
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Interesting but biased
I enjoyed this book. It's entertaining and worth reading. At times the book is repetitious. (I kept saying, "OK, you've already written that 3 times. Who is editing this?") The lowest point in the book is when the authors, after exposing Rove's faults, praise (of all people) Tareq Aziz for making an anti-Israel and anti-Bush statement, thus revealing their own bias. This one outrageous comment, along with the authors' dire predicitons for Iraq, makes me wonder how slanted the rest of the book is. We know Rove has an agenda; it's too bad we have to read more than 200 pages before we discover this book's real agenda: get Bush by trashing Rove. Still, the book is an addition to the debate over the role of political consultants in the Presidency. | 0negative
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Hard to put down, thrilling, exciting and very entertaining
"The Genesis Code" was a wonderful book to begin our book club. Once I started, I could not put it down. I had to know what the confession was... Mr. Case did a fantastic job capturing our minds. His writing style was very exceptional. His explanation of the fertility methods was well done and easy to follow. Of course, there were a few far-fetched ideas in the book, but that is what makes it a great book of fiction. I hope it is made into a movie. I smiled when I read an article on Dr. Seed who wants to carry out cloning experiments. Not only is he as ambitious as Dr. Baresi, but we were able to use his book to explain some of Dr. Seeds ideas. The genesis code is not really too far from reality. I enjoyed it immensely. Great writing Mr. Case. This refers to the hardcover edition of the book. | 1positive
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Challenging Real Life Account of an Everyday Man
This book has a wonderful storytelling quality that captured me. I read it in about 4 hours. I felt like I was right there in the office listening in on his conversations. I like this book because I can use his stuff right away. He keeps it simple. I appreciate his down-to-earth approach. Most anyone can indentify with him and I knew that he understood the trials you face in the effort to make a living and improve yourself via selling.A GREAT READ! | 1positive
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Mendelssohn in a parallel universe?
Le Mure might as well have created a fictional Jewish composer; had he done this, I might have appreciated the novel a lot more. The biggest problem I have with Beyond Desire isn't the author's tendency to change historical facts to suit his narrative or the writing style, which is fine, but how poorly he sticks to what we know about Mendelssohn's character. First of all, there is no indication that young Felix was a jaded ladies' man uncertain of his vocation. His biographies indicate that he was bent on a career in music early on. And then there is the complete disregard of the composer's deep spirituality and religious identity; ethnically a Jew, he was also a Christian. Here Felix can best be described as a non-practicing Jew with little interest in spiritual matters. Wouldn't a man reviving a religious masterwork like Bach's St. Matthew Passion be at least partly motivated by some spiritual impulse?The fictional character of that other woman in his life, Maria Salla, is little more than a stereotype of a fiery, sexy Italian diva. One can ask why the author didn't give more attention to the real women, besides his wife, who had the strongest influence on him, notably his sister Fanny and his good friend Jenny Lind, who almost certainly fell in love with him.But if you disregard the huge biographical inaccuracies and just enjoy the story as it unfolds, it is a quick and at times enjoyable read. If you want to know the real Mendelssohn, however, read the biographies and listen to his lyrical, elegant music. They are even more interesting and moving than Le Mure's work of fiction! | 0negative
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absolutely pointless and dull
i thought this would be an exciting book. i kept reading and reading waiting to get to the good part, but i never did. i found it boring and had no point! i wouldn't even consider looking at the sequel. | 0negative
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Kindle version full of typos
I gave up reading it about a quarter of the way through. The amount of typos in the Kindle version is quite remarkable and it makes for a very jarring reading experience. I was looking forward to reading it - a lot. Poor Dashiel Hammett, his work treated this way. | 0negative
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Horrific translation
Why in the world did the publisher accept this horrific and unnecessary new translation. Judge for yourself. From the 1943 Katherine Woods translation: "'As for me,' said the little prince to himself, 'If I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water.'" The new Richard Howard translation: "'If I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked,' the little prince said to himself, 'I'd walk very slowly toward a water fountain.'" I mean ... really. | 0negative
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Good-bye, This Universe
The plot/goal was not enough, Drizzt's intro's to every sectionare dull any more, I did not like the elf he introduced in this story, he should not have returned Wulfgar as the story is going,there is too much sexual innuendo( the first books hardly had any), I don't like the direction or lack of it in which the story is going, the heroes have done everything, and the character developement seems to be making them all the same character. These books aren't any fun any more. | 0negative
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This book was very slow-moving and dull.
I was assigned to read a novel in my Junior year Dual Enrollment English class. For some reason, I chose the Scarlet Pimpernel, mainly because it was about 8 times shorter than Tom Jones or David Copperfield. I couldn't get into the book at all, and in fact, I couldn't even finish it. Maybe I'll try to read it again someday, but I doubt it. My advice? Read something else, like Tom Jones, where there are atleast Cliff Notes or a Movie about it. Maybe because everyone here has given this book 4 and 5 stars, it seems I have no clue what I'm talking about. I tried to give it a chance, but I simply could not follow the reading. If you are willing to give this dull and slow book a fair chance, by all means, go for it. | 0negative
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Great source for teachers
Want to stir up discussion after a reading selection? This is a great book to do so. When teaching literary elements such as analysis of character, story plot, setting, etc...this book provides cards to promote discussion in group settings or students can sit at their desks and work independently. This is also a great way to motivate your students into a lessson. I recommend this book to any teacher who would like to spruce their reading lessons up. This book also has very creative prompts that students can relate to. | 1positive
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Did not enjoy it!
I was not thrilled with the book at all. Too much details about Catholics and their ways of life. I wouldn't advise anyone to read it. Maybe if you were a Catholic it might appeal to you. | 0negative
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For boring people who couldn't get any more boring
What a waste of time! This book is very, very boring. I've said it & I'll say it again: this book is very, very, extremely, boring. I refrained from giving it 1 star to the fact that yes, it has its good points...if you ever get to them. | 0negative
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Not for long hikes
The book has a few useful tips, but seems to be geared for camping. For long backcountry hikes, it just offers the usual granola, jerky, etc. | 0negative
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A misguided venture
Why would an author who believes Sam Spade to have been created by Raymond Chandler (page 62) bother to write about pulp fiction writers? And, more to the point, why would you bother to read him?There is little actual information in the book, except for generalities, brief plot synopses and more or less widely available biographical data. There are a few interesting snippets here and there about some lesser figures, but they are hardly worth your 20 bucks. | 0negative
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If you prefer to be a Christian dolt...read the series
I have been a Christian for 24 years. Like any other Christian I have gone through my phases of learning and growth. One of the most freeing experiences of my Christian life was when I realized that dispensationalism is hogwash. That is the theological basis for all of LaHaye's series. Personally I believe he is a sincere Christian man. I just think that on this subject he is sincerely wrong. LaHaye wrote another book called How To Read the Bible for Yourself. It is to be wished he'd done that in the area of eschatology. It is WAY past time for the church to stop offering up this bilge of people disappearing and planes crashing as a way to get the attention of sinners. The Bible speaks of graduating from being a milk drinker to a meat eater. The church is full of those (and dispensationalism has helped in this regard) who remain in the milk drinking nursery. They don't want to graduate to meat eating, and instead of being strong enough to give intelligent reasons for the hope that is in them they rely on end times science-fiction. It is not worthy of a Christian. If you ever want to grow up I suggest you steer clear of of this end times overdosing and learn how to divide the word of God like the Berean Christians did in the book of Acts. I have found that learning new things is not the difficulty. It is the tearing down of old established error that makes learning new things difficult. The Left Behind series is one of those things that will leave you with a lot more that will need to be torn down if you ever intend to be more than an anemic Christian. God deserves our best efforts to understand Him and how we should mirror His words in our lives. Left Behind is the sincere but wrong reflection of a viewpoint that is a liability and an embarrassment to the church. In this day and time of great troubles we don't need something that contributes to Christian uncertainty. The church is full of enough fables that cannot actually be found in Scripture. Use the mind God gave you for something besides a hat rack and read something useful...like your Bible. | 0negative
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Radical Departure from the Biblical Text
When the author writes that her story is a readical departure from the Biblically text - she claims it is because she tells and unknown part of the story -- fleshes it out for us -- and that she tells it from a woman's perspective. It truly is a radically departure -- but that is mostly because she plays very fast and loose with the Biblical account. She doesn't just fill in missing details -- she changes whole facts. The God of the Bible gets very few mentions at all - and nearly all of them derogatory. If you're into idolatry and pagan religions -- and you like to see the God of the Bible mocked and made fun of -- then this might be your kind of book. As for me and my household -- we will serve the Lord. | 0negative
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Not as great as it looks
My son (2.5 yrs) and I were rather disappointed with this item, even though he loves stickers and airplanes. Perhaps it would be more enticing to older kids, but he (and I) found that we were pretty limited in placing the stickers in a sensible way. The also didn't come off easily after first-time use. | 0negative
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Travels With Birders
In his excellent earlier book, Parrot Without a Name, Don Stap traveled with John O'Neill and Ted Parker to Peru to find rare birds. In his new book, Birdsong, he travels with two experts of avian bioacoustics, Don Kroodsma and Greg Budney to hear rare birds. This is a book about bird song (how and why birds sing), however, I also found his portrayal of the two individual scientists fascinating. Although they come from different backgrounds and training, these two men approach bird song with equal passion.This book takes the reader on an inside tour of the hurdles and obstacles that avian scientists face. Kroosdma, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, is a very thorough scientist who questions conventional thinking. For example, Kroodsma was surprised to hear the bellbird singing three different songs in different regions of Costa Rica. Going against conventional scientific thinking, he suspected that this suboscine bird learned its song (which accounted for the regional variations), which suboscines aren't supposed to do. Rather, they are believed to be born knowing their songs. Stap follows Kroosdma around recording the bellbird to gather evidence to counter the prevailing theory. But even with recordings and considerable scientific evidence, he still was not able to convince a major foundation to fund the study.Stap also follows Greg Budney, Curator of the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, during a sound recording workshop. Don joins other workshop participants to learn how Greg records bird songs for the Lab, explaining how far Greg will go to get a good recording. While working with Ted Parker, Greg fell into a spiny palm tree and got needlelike thorns jammed into his hand. After using razor blades to remove them, he went right back to recording. On that trip Ted Parker told him, "You've got to get out there and record the birds while they are there, before the forests are cut down." Greg takes this statement seriously, and recruits people at his sound recording workshops to help in this conservation effort. Budney's enthusiasm convinces every participant that he might record something never before captured on tape. Greg's passion for birdsong and conservation are contagious, and Stap's writing is so compelling, you feel you are standing in the field with the participants struggling to get a good recording of a bird.In this book, Birdsong, Don Stap describes his travels with two of the best scientists in the field, making it sound like great science and great fun. As I closed the last page, I wondered which ornithologists he will pick to accompany for his next book. Whoever it is, you can bet it will be worth the trip. | 1positive
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A Great Read!
I often felt on the edge of my seat as I experienced the same twists and turns as the main character, and wanted to know more and more with every turn of the page. Bravo! | 1positive
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Soooooo Bad
This book was ridiculous. Bad writing, bad plot, bad characterization... The villians were buffoons, and the ending was a foregone conclusion. Like most of Anderson's books, I found myself mentally editing as I read. Usually the story is basically good, but this one didn't even have that going for it. | 0negative
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Take Note
THIS VOLUME IS ABRIDGED. It says in the introduction that it is only 2/3 of the original. I have not read the work, but I'm going to wait until I don't have some editor telling me what I don't need to know! I'll go to Gibbon himself for that!she who is no longer the Angel of Music | 0negative
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Sherlock Holmes and the Adventrue of the Three Dragons
A quaint mystery book that was a good quick read. However if one were looking to meet Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in yet another adventure, you'd better look elsewhere. The author missed the essential Sherlock Holmes. For one, throughout the book both Holmes & Watson referred to Inspector Whittington as Charlie. While Watson may have occasionally lapsed into a first name basis, only on rare occasions would Holmes ever do so. Both their nature and the times would have required the more formal Inspector Whitington. Mrs. Hudson's home and Holmes and Watsons abode were altered from the orgiginal Conan Doyle descriptions of the 221B Baker Street residence. These are only two examples of where the author missed the essential Sherlock Holmes. Readers will no doubt find others as they read the book. It's a good little mystery book, but just not an essential Sherlock Holmes. Hopefully the aurthor will improve if he writes another Sherlock Holmes book. | 0negative
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Portentous Professors Unite!
If you are looking for an easy introduction to literary criticism, than look no further!!.... for a different book. This book is a collection of essays that are poorly written and constructed, have almost no point or conclusion and for the most part leave the reader thinking, "whaaa?".In almost ever essay they use very large ambiguous words and quote many authors but actually don't define the term they're given. They end up using poor examples to express a word they forgot to define in the trample of nonsense. All in all the title of the book should be Irony because it's written by english professors. | 0negative
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This book is great
This book is just what I was looking for. Great photos and descriptions of the plant life of California. | 1positive
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An amazing novel
The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the best novels I have read. Buying Tolkien's novels for people is a great gift because they read them over and over. I keep reading the series each year because it is that good. I also recommend reading this novel slowly, because the depth of his writing is amazing. If one reads slowly, and let Tolkien's words sink in, imagine what he describes, the reader will be taken to a magical place. Each time I read this novel, I notice something I didn't before, and it is always entertaining. I noticed this time that in the past, I read to quickly and did not allow myself to see the landscapes he paints.What happens. The book begins with a continuation of the Hobbit, and Bilbo's magic ring has been found to have a dark past. The Ring must be destroyed. But Bilbo passes the ring on before this is known, and the quest is thrust upon his heir, Frodo. Frodo leaves with his friends and meets elves and Tom Bombadil, before he reaches Rivendell. The movie leaves out some stuff. Once Frodo and the other hobbits make it to Rivendell they continue with five others. Their goal is to destroy the ring, but they must go to Mordor, and the road is long and tough. The novel ends with the fellowship being broken. Boromir's horn has not yet sounded. | 1positive
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Happily Ever After, The Drew Barrymore Story
The Furman sisters brought Drew Barrymore to life in the biography. The detailed description throughout the book chronicles Drew's life and that of her famous family. It was revealed that Drew's drug and alcohol addictions were part of a family tradition that dated back to her famous grandfather, John Barrymore. This quick read will give you a "real" insight into what it is like to be a star in the 20th and 21st. centuries. | 0negative
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Fallen Angels
The book Fallen Angles by Walter Dean Myers is a great book. Walter Dean Myers is one of my favorite authors. I have never been disapointed by any of his books. This one was about a young man drafted into the army. He was sent to active duty in Vietnam. It was all an error that he ended up in active duty he had a bad knee.The story brought you with the main character Richie Perry to the Vietnam war. Walter Dean Myers had you understand the fears and the feelings of the men in Perrys group. You met his new friends, sargents, and nurses. The book makes you feel like you are right there with them. You don't want to put the book down you were given more information about the Vietnam war. Its not as much the detail of the location and what was happening but more about the thoughts of the troops. You got the view from the people that were actually there in the trenches. They where trying to survive. There where men dying,they were friends there where feeling of loosing your friend to the war. Every one wanted to get out alive and well and start a new life. I recomend this book to anyone who likes war stories. This book will not only give you the war story, but the view from those who served. Not just the facts but the feelings. | 1positive
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Pleasant first effort
This is a light and endearing early work by the author of the outrageously funny Stephanie Plum series. It's a bit unfair to compare this book with the Plums. (It's unfair to compare most anything with the Plums.) "Full House" is romantic, sweet natured, and doesn't have what so many romance writers feel is the necessary plot device of having the main characters hate or mistrust each other halfway through the book. No angst.How can you dislike a book that is well written and has a housewife as the romantic lead character? Go Billie! Snag that gorgeous guy with homemade chocolate chip cookie fumes. Who says that being a normal, well-adjusted family isn't a guy magnet?Evanovich teases the reader with the kind of off-the-wall characters she'll use so well in the Plum series. Nick's nephew Max, the teenage bomb-mixing genius, and his gorgeous older sister DeeDee, engaged to a wrester, are just the sorts of characters you expect to explore in an Evanovich book. She does the characters better now, but these are a great offbeat touch to balance Billie's middle-class life. The way Billie and Nick adjust to each other's families is what makes the book fun to read. So read it! | 1positive
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A compendium study of a society
Few are the works that draw from the fields of economics, history, poetry, sociology, art, political science and music to describe a world. This is one of those works. Authored by one of the most influential African-Americans in world history, it recreates the world of the Negro in the American South post Civil War and pre Civil Rights. The book is actually a collection of essays, each of which examines a specific feature of the Negro world, often by following the lives of one or more individuals in the Negro community. Most of them are tragedies in some sense of the word; tales of hopes dashed, lives crushed, unending poverty, and injustice meted out in ways subtle and silent. The book is both a criticism of white racism, and of the various ways Negroes have adopted in response to it; from "shiftlessness" to bitterness, to escape to the cities, to refuge in God. As such, it is a very balanced and well-thought out book. All in all, a good book and very insightful into a period of American history most of us would like to forget. | 1positive
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a frighteningly contemporary story
No one likes Alan Turner. He's a spycatcher with the British foreign office, and if he's talking to you, your career is probably over. With gleeful ferocity, he tramples across uncrossable boundaries of diplomacy, decency and class.The year is 1968. The West is mired in the Cold War, the British have lost their empire, young people are rioting all over the globe, the Vietnam War is in full swing, and in Germany, a mysterious and charismatic leader is rising swiftly to power.Sensitive international negotiations are scheduled for the near future. Suddenly, a low-level diplomat disappears from the British Embassy in Bonn, along with a highly confidential personalities file. Find the file, Turner is told, but for God's sake, don't let the Germans know.Turner is no Smiley. He's cynical, sharp-tongued, dirty-minded, happy to make enemies, and worst of all, from the wrong social class. He begins his hunt by assuming that the disappeared diplomat, Leo Harting, is spying for the Soviet Union. By the novel's end, he is trying to save his life.The book begins by taking us through the different departments, levels and personalities of the Embassy, a world with which Le Carre is obviously familiar. He has an other-worldly gift with dialogue; when the cheery young Cockney from the code room speaks, you can almost hear his accent. The same can be said for the Ambassador from the fancy old family, the career diplomat, the German journalist and the Polish immigrant.Layered, rich with detail, it does take some time getting started. But once I realized where the story was going, and what Harting has been searching for, I couldn't put it down. The culminating scene, a massive political rally where we finally hear the mysterious Karfeld speak, is a masterpiece. As a private army fans through the crowd, beating up anyone who might disagree, the future tyrant plays to our worst qualities as human beings, calling upon the starstruck masses to embrace their resentments, their vindictiveness, their jealousies, and their unreasoning fears of the Evil Other. An uncannily fitting book to read on 9/11. | 1positive
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Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Many of the ideas in this book are very contradicting to the bible however he does bring up some good points. Read C.S. Lewis' responce to this book entiteled "The Great Divorce". | 0negative
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Chancellorsville by James Reasoner
Fourth in the series by James Reasoner. The Brannon sons continue their adventures during the civil war. A quick, lite,enjoyable read yet very superficial with regard to historical details. You could read this book in a single sitting if you were so inclined. | 1positive
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Disappointing
The book does not go far enough to make it useful to most readers. It would have been easy to provide additional information on the Constitution, the signers, etc..., but instead the author(s) took the easy route and simply reprinted the document! Very weak book. Not work the money! | 0negative
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Oldie but a goodie
I have seen the movie (needs to be remade wih today special effects come on Disney) and really enjoyed the book. | 1positive
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Profanity???
I don't get it. Holden freaks out so bad when he reads that cuss word on the wall in Phoebe's school. And yet, on virtually every page of the book, Holden is cussing! And the bit where he says he's really glad the atomic bomb has been invented... What a gaff! Apart from that, there were some amusing bits. There really were. But come on. It's not that great, people. Try reading 1984 or All Quiet On The Western Front. Get a taste of reality. | 0negative
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Do you really need 250 pages to establish the spoiled brat?
The general outline of the story has some promise: CAllow young prince striving to grow into his crown. Unfortunately Feintuch goes to such excruciating lengths to establish Prince Roddy's starting point that the reading is a chore rather than a joy. Despite being 16, Roddy acts like a spoiled, obnoxious, and often cruelly violent 6 year old. At his best, he is utterly thoughtless of anyone but himself. As I said, this could make for an interesting story of personal growth, but Feintuch spends 250 pages with example after example of his hideous behavior. At last it dawns on him that maybe he should reform. Feintuch then spends another 150 pages continuing his hateful behavior, with only brief interludes of maturity.Does anyone actually enjoy reading in that much detail about someone you can only want to slap silly? If you've got the book, do yourself a favor and just skip to page 400 and read the last 180 pages. In the book's defense, if Fentuch had compressed the first 400 pages into about 10 and spent the rest of the book telling about a character we could care about, this would have been worth reading. | 0negative
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DULL book with great ending!
I disagree about Hannibal's ending, I loved it! the first two thirds of the book were so excruiatingly boring though, that I can't recomend it to anyone. Read Silence of The Lambs and Red Dragon instead! | 0negative
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I'm 'peeling' pleased
I know that most people who buy this book have children of a young age or are teaching children. I am a fourteen year old. Strange, I know. However, I absolutely adore this book. It doesn't matter how old you are, you can learn much more by reading. As an art student I enjoyed this book greatly.Lillian Elizabeth | 0negative
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Utterly predictable
Anybody who claims to not have forseen the final events of this novel must be in denial. On the plus side, the torture sequences were disturbingly well written. Made me uncomfortable, it was quite real. Overall, though, a pretty poor, predicatable, formulaic effort. | 0negative
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I did not receive the entire book.
The audiobook set of discs I received had 2 of the same disc (#4) and no #3 disc. I notified the seller and have received no response. I am definitely not happy with my purchase. | 0negative
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Lots of great questions; few usable answers
In Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, Alfie Kohn presents cogent criticism of the common strategies teachers use to control student behavior: rewards and punishment. Kohn made me question whether I ought to use such tactics, and made me hunger for a better way -- something not involving an insistence on control and compliance. Unfortunately, Beyond Discipline created a hunger without really satisfying it.Kohn is right about rewards and penalties carrying a terrible price tag. They are both forms of manipulation, and leave little room for children to make authentic choices about what or how they will learn. Moreover, it is undoubtedly better for children to be motivated intrinsically to act kindly toward others, rather than just doing it to get praise and rewards and to avoid punishments. Getting compliance, in short, isn't much of an achievement.So, the next logical question is, if a teacher jettisons rewards, penalties, and insisting on compliance, what will she replace them with? Obviously, "doing nothing" or "letting the students do whatever they please" would be unacceptable. We have to replace rules and bribes and threats with something, but what?Kohn claims that traditional discipline methods are founded on the assumption that children are selfish and sinister, "that children will act generously only when reinforced for doing so, that people are motivated exclusively by self-interest" (page 8). Indeed, this assumption may be held by many traditional discipline programs. However, I personally don't use rewards and penalties as a result of any such assumption. In fact, like Kohn, I believe that children have a natural tendency toward empathy and generally want to help others. I use rewards and punishments because of a different assumption: Children often don't know what's best for them. Responsible adults often need to tell children what to do, simply because children often lack proper judgment. Children aren't naturally cruel or selfish, but they do lack knowledge and maturity. Think about it: Given their choice, would most children eat nutritious meals three times a day, or junk food? Would most children study a wide variety of academic subjects (math, history, science, grammar, etc.,), or would they only study whatever suits their momentary fancy? Would most children wait until they were at an appropriate age and maturity level operate drive a car, or would they operate (potentially deadly) vehicles much too soon?I have rules in my classroom because I know that children often lack the maturity and knowledge to make choices that will benefit them in the long term. So, I'm not quite sold on the idea of getting rid of rules for children set by responsible adults. The students may have some input in the formation of the class rules, but ultimately it's the responsible adult who knows what's best for the students' long-term benefit, so it's not unreasonable for the adult in the classroom to veto any class rules that would not meet the students' needs (rules that are too vague to be understood, too punitive, too permissive, etc.)What would Kohn use to replace rewards and consequences? In a very simplified form, he would replace them with:* making tasks and lessons meaningful and interesting to the students. This could reduce the need for rule enforcement, but by itself won't eliminate it. Some students, some of the time, will still persist in infringing on others' right to learn or be safe.* giving the students more choices about matters that affect them. I do agree with the idea of giving the students numerous choices throughout the school day. However, this doesn't mean that a teacher should allow students to decide what the curriculum will be (e.g., should we allow children to completely avoid math because they don't like it?), or what an acceptable noise level will be, or whether their work should be assessed, or whether they should be allowed to use put-downs and cuss words, etc.* class meetings. But if, in the midst of a lesson, a student infringes on another student's right to learn or be safe... are we supposed to stop the lesson and solve this with a class meeting? What if the student persists in such behavior? More class meetings, I suppose? Class meetings can be a useful tool for certain purposes, but I don't imagine that they would dissuade persistently distracting or aggressive students. Furthermore, what if the students, during class meetings, make decisions that are likely to lead to chaos? They might decide that they should be allowed to shout out whenever they please, or run around the classroom whenever they please, or choose not to clean up the classroom, etc. Responding with, "Well, let's give it a try - and then let's check back in a day or two to see how it's working" (page 98) isn't much of a solution. Like it or not, there are just some basic rules of behavior that are non-negotiable and must sometimes be forced upon students. Kohn practically (and very regretfully) admits it himself: "If a student persists in disrupting a class meeting, even after repeated reminders that he isn't being fair to everyone else, the teacher may decide to ask him to leave until he is ready to stop acting that way" (page 128). But wouldn't exile be one of the most punitive things a teacher can do to a student?* trying to build a sense of "community" among the students and adults. Kohn paints a nice picture of people getting along in harmony, with lots of class meetings and a heavy focus on empathy and interdependence. But how would an actual teacher in an actual modern classroom address a student (or students) who persists in violating the rights of other people? We know what Kohn wouldn't want teachers to do in such a situation, but exactly what would he have us do?In the final chapter of the book, Kohn finds a nifty way to avoid answering such a question: "[T]here is reason to be deeply suspicious of this kind of advice [i.e., specific prescriptions]. It's disrespectful to teachers when someone proposes to replace their judgment with a packaged response" (page 122). That's quite a convenient time for Kohn to be so "respectful" of teachers' judgment, especially after spending the first half of the book calling their judgment into question. And: "The infinite number of possible problems [and circumstances] make it impossible for a responsible author or consultant to offer anything more than general guidelines or considerations to keep in mind" (page 122). So, I suppose a teacher should try to keep those "general guidelines" in mind while a student continues to violate the rights of others...Ultimately, Kohn's point of departure is the premise that a teacher should not take away a child's freedom unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't disagree with that. However, I have another -- perhaps equally important -- premise: No child has the right to infringe on the rights of others. And this means that sometimes a teacher will find it necessary to limit a child's freedom. I suppose this is what we would call a "necessary evil." Is there a better way? Beyond Discipline serves up some powerful questions... then leaves us starving for answers.David Moadel, Boca Raton, FL | 0negative
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Cave Canem
Those of you who were forced to study Latin know the old joke: "Cave Canem." It's Latin for "Beware of Dog."And this story is a definite dog. Already this early in the series, "F.W. Dixon" has started cannibalizing his own work, thinking that hanging about caves is somehow exciting or mysterious.Let's face it: caves are dreary, dark, damp and dismal. What sort of real entertainment is afforded here?And besides, about halfway through this story you forget what the boys were looking for. However, in the revised version, there are a great many fun references to the much-discredited 1964 New York World's Fair, especially the huge Uniroyal ferris wheel that they made look like a big whitewall tire.Guaranteed to break the ice at parties, that is. | 0negative
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Outdated
This book is very outdated. I have been a Radiation Therapist for 7 years and I am currently studying for my Dosimetry boards which I will be taking in several months. Many of my answers to the questions are based on real world experience in the clinical setting. I found many of the answers to these questions to coincide with what I have personally seen and performed.This test question based book was created in 2004; 8 years ago. Many advancements have been made in the world of Radiation Oncology since this time. For this reason, many of the answers are simply outdated.So if you are going to use this book stick to the questions based on things that really haven't changed much in 8 years. Dose calcuations, Isodose Distributions, Brachytherapy, Measurement of Ionizing Radiation; to name a few.Another issue is the format of the quesitons. Too many true/false questions, not enough multiple choice. | 0negative
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I want my money back
What a disappointment. Lewis, the author of several memorable books, has aapparently succummed to the temptation to make a few bucks off his name. This extremely short book ( I didn't pay enough attention to the details in the Amazon listing )is also extremely shallow, about his high school coach and the effect that coach had on his life. The book may have been a passable magazine article somewhere ( Oh, now I read some of the other Customer Reviews, and I see it was a NY Times Mag article ), but it certainly falls way short in the "book" category. Interestingly, Lewis writes this rip off book about his coach who constantly preached about not taking the shortcuts, and that the guys would not be rewarded by doing such. Clearly, Lewis' process of wrting is "shortcut" book is out of step with the content of the book. Save your money. | 0negative
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Overhyped
Moby Dick is an overhyped, monotonous, pretentious, pseudo-intellectual piece of crap, in other words an English lit major's wet dream. It's the absolute meaningless ramblings of a half wit, not some great intellectual masterpiece. Maybe Melville was the Justin Bieber and "Twin Peaks" of his day, talentless and meaningless but few will admit they were fooled. | 0negative
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Don't delay -- read this!
If you desire to be moved deeply and feel connected to the history of life through our female ancestors, read this book without delay. Be prepared to go on many journeys from the spiritual to the emotional to the visualization of ancient sights and sounds.I marvel at this book and how it's affected me by giving me strength. This is a midrash tale full of wonder and delight. | 1positive
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Challenging but beautiful.
The original story is lush with great vocabulary and detailed description, a little work, but well worth it. I'm reading it aloud to my 10, 9, and 6 year olds. The DK illustrated abridgement is a good supplement too. | 1positive
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Horrible Selfish Boook
This and other books like this that focus on the minorities are the types of books that try to destroy the brotherhood of being a fireman. All the othe men that have had books written about them did something heroic to get that book about them these women did not when they do i will be more then happy to read their book. | 0negative
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Ain't Gonna Study War No More
Winn's excellent study of war and Christianity focuses on what the Bible has to say. As you can see in the title, he does not shy away from the fact that, whether you focus on the OT, the NT letters, or Christ's own words and actions, the Bible does not clearly or consistently condemn war and violence. In this, he echoes the other scholars in this area. He differs in his very accessible treatment of the development of Jewish society as seen in the Bible, his thorough study of the full meaning of Shalom, and his careful and helpful organization of the Biblical passages dealing with various aspects of war. In the end, he comes down on the side of peace (but not pacifism), but while his convictions are firm, his support for them is weak. I've used this book as a student and am now using it to teach a class at my church. | 1positive
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Excellent story collection
This is a great collection of short stories by an innovative writer. The book grew on me. I was several stories in when I realized I was hooked. We get some stories that deal with Yunior's father, but they're sort of around the edges until the last story, which is long and in depth and beautifully written. I would highly recommend this book. I'm now almost done with Diaz's second story collection, This is How You Lose Her, and I'm enjoying that as well. | 1positive
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A Signifant Contribution to a Little Known Area
Stanton has put together an excellent study on the nature and history of higher education in classical Islam by drawing together some of the most important literature in modern European scholarship on the subject. He begins the book by succinctly exploring the roots of Islamic perceptions of knowledge: the Prophet Muhammad, he tells us, highly valued learning, while the Koran, in turn, strongly encourages reflection over the grandeur of existence (3). These pivotal foundations lead the early Muslims to hold knowledge in high esteem.Stanton shows that the Muslims advanced significantly in almost every scientific field. Some of the most noted figures, he notes, were polymaths adept in a number of sciences, such as Ibn Sina, Farabi, Omar Khayyam, Biruni, and Nasr al-Din al-Tusi. Their multidisciplinary achievements lay in their unified vision of the cosmos, which saw phenomenal existence as organically interconnected and structured upon a divinely ordained order. The phenomenal universe was, for them, bound by a unity and religiously inspired hierarchy according to which each physical entity not only related to everything else, but was also invested with a spiritual significance/meaning for existing in the first place. This interconnection implied that the various sciences were unified at a deeper level, and that those sciences that dealt with the deeper levels were qualitatively superior. Scientific knowledge, Stanton notes, was not sought to control the universe - as in the case of Western Enlightenment science - but simply to discover the patterns as revelations or signs of a Divinity beyond them. It was this attitude that prevented the Muslims from studying the universe for its own sake or for some form of domination (as Roger Bacon would later advocate). This is one reason why science as we see it today did not arise in the Muslim world despite the phenomenal contributions made by medieval Islamic thinkers.The 11th to the 13th century saw massive translations of Islamic scholarship into European languages. Through this retranslation movement, Europe accessed not only Islamic learning, but also the Greek heritage that had influenced Islamic learning but which had been lost in Europe during the Dark Ages. Jews played a significant role in translating Arabic texts into Latin and other European languages just as the Syriac Christians had helped the Muslims access the writings of the ancient Greeks.Not only was Islamic learning absorbed by Europe, but, as Stanton, notes, so too were the structures of higher Islamic education. Frederick the II, for example, founded the University of Naples in 1224 modelling it on institutions established by royal patronage in Islamic Spain. The method by which issues related to Islamic law (shariah) were studied and disputed also had a significant impact on the way philosophical problems were formally approached in Europe.There are a few minor factual errors in Stanton's work. On p.63 he writes, "the Quran states that for every disease there is a cure." As I recall this is a Prophet saying, not a Koranic verse. He reiterates the same mistake on p.99. On p.64 he says that Yazid was the third Ummayad caliph. He was actually the second. On p.157 he misdefines kalam as "Islamic speculative philosophy". Kalam is Islamic dogmatic theology. On p.78 and 90 he contends that Islamic philosophy died after Ibn Rushd (13th century). Recent research has discounted this outdated view. Islamic philosophy flourished again in the 16th century in Iran in a form which infused Peripatetic thought with sufism (cf. THE VOYAGE AND THE MESSANGER: IRAN AND PHILOSOPHY by Henry Corbin). On p. 76 he refers to "three intellectual schools: kalam, falsafah, and Asharism'". Asharism is one school of kalam, not separate from it.Despite these minor errors, Stanton's work is an exceptional contribution to a field that has not been sufficiently explored. Not only does he succeed in bringing to light the Greek influence on Islamic learning (which is well known), but he explores the rarely acknowledged impact that Islamic learning and institutions of learning had on later medieval Europe. One of his purposes behind writing the book is to expose Europe's debt to classical Islam. He writes, "Histories rarely describe the great centers of learning that arose in Islamic society and the impact of these structures on institutions of higher education as they emerged in Europe [...] Through its scholars, Islamdom manifested its higher cultural achievements, and we are the beneficiaries of their unparalleled intellectual energy" (ix). | 1positive
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Wonderful book about the discovery of the Romanov remains
A wonderful historical-scientific-mystery surrounding the discovery of nine skeletons dug up in Siberia in 1991. Were these the remain of the last czar of Russia, NicholasII and his family and servants? Author Robert K. Massie takes you step-by-step through the political, scientific, and legal haggeling over these remains. Quite a bit of the book is dedicated to "Anna Anderson", the woman who for several decades claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, the czar's youngest daughter. The author makes several references that this woman, whom he rightly calls "the claimant" closely resembled the Grand Duchess. Yet the photographs in the book are mostly of the modern day scientist who identified the nine skeletons. This reader would have preferred some photos comparing the two women. Some readers may become confused by the huge amount of people (and names) involved with the identification of the Romanov remains. Many of the long resumes of the scientists involved would have best been left for an appendix. The very last chapter of the book, which ties into the first chapter beautifully, describes a close, loving family during the last weeks, days, and hours of their lives. This lovely, sad ending to this well written book helped this reviewer see the Romanovs as real people, not just as the thoughtless royalty history has portrayed them or at the mysterious bones they left behind | 1positive
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The perfect summer read
I've been a SEP fan for years, so it's no surprise that I raced right out to buy this book. Once I opened it, I was hooked. I literally couldn't put it down. Even though I was on vacation, I ignored everyone and simply sat on the beach and raced through the pages. This book is pure, absolute, unadulterated fun. I loved the characters and found myself often laughing out loud. I can't remember a better contemporary romance. Enjoy! | 1positive
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